Anatoly Moskvin stole 150 children's corpses from cemeteries and dressed them up in dresses and stockings

A Russian historian who held 'birthday parties' for the mummified corpses of young girls he had dug from their graves has been sent to a psychiatric clinic, after a judge ruled that he was not well enough to stand trial.

Anatoly Moskvin, 46, who was described as a 'genius' by neighbours and speaks 13 languages, was arrested in 2011, for digging up the bodies of more than 150 girls aged between 3 and 12.

He then mummified their remains, dressed them up in dresses and stockings and gave them names. A court heard that he held grisly parties for them.

A prosecutor spokesman said: "After three years of monitoring him in a psychiatric clinic it is absolutely clear that Moskvin is not mentally fit for trial.

"He will therefore be kept for psychiatric treatment at the clinic."

Police were alerted after Moskvin's parents paid him a surprise visit after returning from holiday and discovered his macabre collection.

A video made by Moskvin and found in his apartment by investigators showed an apartment filled with wedding dresses and colourful girl's clothing.

In an adjoining room, Moskvin zooms into one of the girl's faces, wrapped in a beige veil.

"These dolls are made of mummified human remains," says a voiceover on the recording.

Moskvin lived with 29 mummified bodies.

One of the girls was allegedly dressed as a teddy bear. None were killed by Moskvin.

Investigators found that he had stolen the bodies from cemeteries near his three-bedroom apartment in Nizhny Novgorod, 250 miles east of Moscow.

Police said that Moskvin compiled detailed information about the lives of the girl's he dug up, and wrote instructions on how to turn human remains into dolls.

Russian BNO News reported that Moskvin slept in a coffin, or on the benches of local cemeteries.

Moskvin is the author of 13 books on Russian history, and lectured at a local museum.